Musée d’Orsay · 1868
L'Orchestre de l'Opéra
Edgar Degas
Degas painted his friend, the bassoonist Désiré Dihau, deliberately moving him to the front of the orchestra pit — not where he actually sat — so his portrait would stand out among the musicians who introduced Degas to the world of the Paris Opera.
Why it matters
Degas painted his friend, the bassoonist Désiré Dihau, deliberately moving him to the front of the orchestra pit — not where he actually sat — so his portrait would stand out among the musicians who introduced Degas to the world of the Paris Opera.
Look closer
Notice the dancers' legs and tutus glimpsed just at the very top of the painting, cropped off by the edge of the stage — Degas gives us the orchestra's view, where the performance itself is almost an afterthought.
Dihau, the bassoonist, actually commissioned this painting himself — and it was Dihau who first introduced Degas to the backstage world of the Opera that became one of his lifelong subjects.
Value context
ELYIO places this work in an indicative editorial context of €15–28 million.
The museum work is not for sale. This is ELYIO indicative context—not an appraisal, insurance value or offer.